Josh Olson on FREEBIE AND THE BEAN

[@Mike4metal]

A definite favorite of my childhood in the 70”s! Still love it!

[@lokomusic1971]

RIP Mr James Caan, one of the greatest ever!!!

[@tomhorn1876]

Rest in Peace Jimmy Caan. This movie needs to make a comeback. I snort laughed just watching the damn trailer.

[@faddeus]

I saw this on TCM in late 2015, and I was howling! Alan Arkin was phenomenal, Richard Rush's action and comedic pacing were off the wall crazy, and it was a great movie to watch at 3 in the morning and lose sleep over. Go see it!

[@keithbrown8490]

I was one of the fans of this movie back in 1973 seeing it multiple times at the theater it played.

[@ROLLINTHUNDERNUMBER1]

this is one of my favourite movies of all time

[@RandolphAgarn1]

Saw this many times at the theater. lt is in my top ten best of all time films

[@lonelgunman877]

Josh Olson has great taste in movies

[@markbravo8904]

Was at the time . the FUNNIEST MOVIE I Had SEEN UP UNTIL THE MONTI PYTHON FRANCHISE .

[@MisterHughes]

I think I saw this on TV after having seen the TV series it spawned.

[@kamuelalee]

Me too

[@plikas55]

one of my all time favourite funniest films

[@AnthonySmith-ty7ij]

A terrific film. Both James Caan and Alan Arkin are brilliant together. Great double bill with this film is Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy in 48 HRS.

[@thomasswafford250]

Another buddy cop movie of this era, but darker is Busting with Robert Blake and Elliot Gould.

[@Blaqjaqshellaq]

Richard Rush was in a lot of fights with the studios. THE STUNT MAN had a year-long release delay; he got replaced in AIR AMERICA (I imagine the studio wanted something less political); and he had his own "director's cut" of THE COLOR OF NIGHT.

[@thomasswafford250]

Saw it at the theater with of all people my mother.

[@robertknuist9754]

Me 2...and she was laughing her ass off

[@williamweiss6128]

Love that movie. Just watched the old vhs again yesterday. Too hilaroius. So, In Laws, another Arkin great movie.

[@travisbest9041]

Great, insane movie.

[@ninfilms]

This looks good.

[@williamcrowe2576]

"Not the pliers!"

[@1060michaelg]

Josh, there was another movie released approx. the same period (73/74) and starred Ron Leibman just off his great turn in "The Hot Rock" Starring Robert Redford. The Super Cops was based on some of the real exploits of officers Greenberg and Handz and was a pretty entertaining little movie. I have a question-- in your opinion, were these two films the first two "Buddy" movies? I mean, do they contain the primordial film-ick "soup" that the later "Cop Buddy" flicks crawled out of and made their way onto desks of people who could give them...The GREEN LIGHT? I hope to hear from you and LOVE your work.

[@jennifersman7990]

I’d nominate The French Connection, Popeye and Cloudy were definitely buddies who looked out for one another. The 2 films you mentioned took it one step further and upped the “Buddy quotient”

[@1060michaelg]

@@jennifersman7990 Yeah, I'd go along with that...surprised "The French Connection" didn't occur to me, being one of my all time faves. Perhaps it is because of the gritty realism.

[@johnminehan1148]

I thought this was made in 1974 . . . .

[@radentstwo9793]

Think he meant by production

[@Taranau]

I read the book, this movie is based on. The interaction and banter, between Freebie and Bean, is in the book. I've read comments where, people don't think this movie could get made today. Because of the racist and sexist overtones... Make Bean, an Irish guy from Boston, and it's okay... The Irish have a more self-deprecating sense of humor about their food...

[@jimmyshine7766]

"...made hardly a ripple in its theatrical release"??? It was Warners' third highest grossing movie of the year, behind Blazing Saddles and TheTrial of Billy Jack. 29 million gross--that's 1974 dollars (about 150 million today). Why do you think it single-handedly invented the cop/buddy action comedy subgenre? Olson, know your facts before you post.

[@n_n_n_n_n_n]

Did you even watch the video? He says it was a hit. The description is likely referencing the fact the film didn't make a bigger impact on the genre at the time.

[@frankiehere2010]

no lethal weapon without this movie!!

[@hiramjunior6049]

On tcm nov 2 in the wee hrs

[@integral]

Great movie except for the homophobia (which was a Hollywood standard for the most part). The only time you saw a gay character in movies back then was when they needed a psycho villain.

[@danielleking1171]

i fear that this film would not get made.I love it even the fight with the tv coz one that tv is amazing and two he is kicking the living crap out of James Caan and he is a bad guy so its not as bad as you would think.

[@jewishparasite100]

Tv? Television???

[@jennifersman7990]

Hot Kitchen TV-Transvestite

[@monkeySkeptic]

I love this cast, yet dislike this movie so much. It has aged so poorly. Luckily, it inspired generations of better films.

[@careyatchison1348]

Alan Arkin's worst movie.